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MikieBob will be "living" at the hospital for several months. This is his latest update:5-14-10Everything proceeding well; Bob's bitching about the food of course. Kidneyfunction slowly improving. Non-eventful day, which is good. Still has somelung issues but his capacity went from 750 to 1250 max on the AirLife,so thatis proceeding as well. Still has a chest tube which is a pain in the ass as faras mobility. Once that comes out, it will be a lot easier for him to startPT.

Good God! I'll keep Bob in my thots everyday then. (leatherman makes a note on his calendar ) I can't imagine "months". Just those 60 days with Jim in the hospital was unbearable as nearly every moment of that was an intense struggle for the doctors (and me and Jim) to keep Jim alive. I sure can empathize with what Bob, his partner, family and friends are going through.

Everytime you see Bob, or talk to him, or pass a message along, make sure he knows there's a crowd here wishing and hoping him well through all the rough days and all the good days in the future as he recovers.

ps non-eventful days are the best

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leatherman (aka mIkIE)

All the stars are flashing high above the seaand the party is on fire around you and meWe're gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes- Pet Shop Boys chart from 1992-2015Isentress/Prezcobix

Here is our latest update on Bob. Seems he is scheduled to be "discharged" to live at the apartment there at the hosptal complex. At least it wont feel like a hospital room.

Update: Uneventful for last few days; kidney function continues to improve; off oxygen,chest tube removed today. He has one drain still in place (called a T-tube) that will stay in place for 3 months but doesn't have a bag attached. It;s there in case it's needed later. All meds pre-transplant restarted, except for laculose and xifaxin.

I wouldn't call all that uneventful he's off O2, the chest tube is gone, his kidneys are improving gradually daily, he's restarted nearly all his pre-trans meds AND he's going to move into a hospital apt and out of one of those horrid hospital rooms.Like JG said, that's wonderful news! And thank you for passing it along.

send Bob our love!

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leatherman (aka mIkIE)

All the stars are flashing high above the seaand the party is on fire around you and meWe're gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes- Pet Shop Boys chart from 1992-2015Isentress/Prezcobix

Its just amazing how resilient the human body is. Bob has been through so much, its almost unbelievable that he is doing this well. I hope he makes it the rest of the way. His partner Don, is a man of few words....so yes..."uneventful" really meant "wonderful".Thanks to everyone who has given Bob hope.

Continued good and uneventful progress, off prednisone which is good as it was making him testy. Once a week ProGraf tho that may change to twice a week at some point. Discharge still planned for Friday; we've moved to the waterfront apartment, where we'll be the rest of the stay here in Pitt.

Bob was released and went to the apartment but seems he had a lung issue (partial collapse) and was put back in the hospital. Last night we spoke to Steve (another friend of Bob) who was there and who said Bob may be able to get to the apartment in the next few days.

friends are gods way of apologizing to us for our familys. / a real friend os one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. / everybody wants to ride with you in the limo,but what you need is sombody who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down./ one friend in a lifetimeis much; two are many; three are hardly possible.

Updates on Bob have slowed down a lot because Bob seems to be out of immediate danger and the goals now are to try to get his functions back to or closer to normal.so heres todays update:"no news is good news. Out of hospital and back at the apt. Things going OK. Still retaining fluids and havingurinary problems Had a paracentesis Friday and I think he will need to get them weekly for a while untilthe new liver kicks in full-time. One of his meds is causing some hallucinations, mostly auditory. He thinkshe hears people talking to him; esp at night he is very talkative in his sleep, which he almost never does.This should clear up as he gets use to the med."

I'm glad to say that I have another update on Bob. One of his good friends who now lives in British Colombia, Canada.....will be here for a week.The question I asked was: Is Bob able to get around and walk? The response:"He watches TV mostly, some reading. He can get around a bit but he's still retaining a lot of fluid, in his belly,lungs and legs, so walking is hard.

He's back in the hospital now for a tap and a lot of tests to try to get a reason why he's retainingso much fluid and get a plan in place.

One of his meds (ProGraf, for rejection) is causing tremors and also some halluicinations; At night, he's started to talk in his sleep and has some hand movements. I think he's channeling his dreams. I hope these go away as he adjusts to this meds but they tell us they may not as long as he is on this med.

Aw, sorry about the fluid retention, and the problems the anti-rejection med is causing. I wonder if he would be able to take another one. I suppose there are more pertinent issues, with the fluid and all.

Thanks for the update, Joel, and have fun with the guy from Canada.

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I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

Hi MikieYes, Bob is still in PITTSBURGH, staying at the rented apartment. Unfortunately he is in and out of the hospital because he still is retaining fluid and has to be drained. Its unclear why the new liver isnt taking care of the retention of fluid. We hope the end of August he wil be back in Philadelphia.Thanks for asking.

Just want to throw into the mix that a friend had the op over 5 years ago, was in bad shape at the time and is significantly older than Bob. Today he is in fine, out and about and in better health than he was in most of the earlier years I knew him.

So as understandably discouraging and even scary as this post-op time can be, it can be gotten through and the change a new liver is going to make for Bob is going to be amazing once things settle down.

friends are gods way of apologizing to us for our familys. / a real friend os one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. / everybody wants to ride with you in the limo,but what you need is sombody who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down./ one friend in a lifetimeis much; two are many; three are hardly possible.

Ouch! Five to six-ish months from getting a liver to returning home. Poor guy; but it IS better than the alternative. Hopefully, in a decade Bob can look back on this as just a small amt of time invested in regaining his health and guaranteeing a long life.

Don't forget to always remind him that we are thinking about him and hoping the best! (and thank you for the updates!)

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leatherman (aka mIkIE)

All the stars are flashing high above the seaand the party is on fire around you and meWe're gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes- Pet Shop Boys chart from 1992-2015Isentress/Prezcobix

Bob is out of the hospital and if he can stay out for 4 weeks, they will let him go home. Man, I hope he makes it this time. (He is still in Pittsburgh, at the apartment they rented near the transplant center.)I have been enjoying freash tomatoes out of his garden as he isnt here to harvest them.. ...there is nothing like fresh picked tomatoes.

Bob may be home in a week.Yesterday, I supervised a three person cleaning crew at Bob and Don's house. There was a layer of cat hair on everything. The refrigerator was a mess. No cleaning had been done in five months. So, now the house is ready for Bob to come home.I hear that one of his sisters is freaking out about the cat. She thinks its a bad idea to have one in the house with Bob. I have a feeling Bob wont put his cat up for adoption.Lets all hope for the best......

Yesterday, I supervised a three person cleaning crew at Bob and Don's house.

Jim and I had a friend in the hospital and rehab for 4 months (copd, a lung half destroyed from smoking etc). Before he came home, we scrubbed down the entire place to not only get rid of the smoke-smell and stain; but to get rid of any lingering germs since our friend was coming home in a weakened state. Congrats to you and the crew for being diligent friends.

I hear that one of his sisters is freaking out about the cat. She thinks its a bad idea to have one in the house with Bob.

although i'm a dog-person (ok. I had a cat once. she outlived 7 cockers and Randy, and died at 19. so one cat was plenty for me), i've got nothing against cats; but what I do know is that people with pets (because of the responsibility and companionship) live longer and happier lives. So unless Bob has any objections, it's his house and the kitty should stay.

Besides, would the sister consider giving away her child? Then why should Bob and Don entertain the thought about giving away theirs?

Joel- Please extend my best wishes to Bob and Don, for all they have been through so far. Not to mention what they will be going through in the future. If you remember me from awhile back, you may remember that I had a liver transplant about a year and a half ago. My circumstances went the other way though: Out of the hospital in 5 days, and sent back home to New Mexico in a scant 4 weeks after being released from the hospital. I can empathize with what they are ging through, both individually and as a couple. Not easy or fun. Idon't know either Bob or Don, but please tell them that they have a person out there who has walked that path. If there is anything I can do to help in the way of support, please PM me for my contact info.

And let me not forget to thank YOU for the things you have done to help out. I know when it came time for me, I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from a lot of people. You, my Ursine friend, have my profound and sincerest respect for what you have done.